ONE 164 results: Amir Aliakbari sends Brandon Vera into retirement with a first-round TKO 

Former ONE heavyweight world champion Brandon Vera made his long-awaited return to the circle at ONE 164 on Saturday. ‘The Truth’ made the walk for the first time in 18 months, meeting UWW Greco-Roman wrestling world champion Amir Aliakbari in a battle of heavyweight heavy hitters.

Vera came out and immediately put pressure on Aliakbari, digging in with calf kicks in an attempt to slow the Iranian wrestler down. Aliakbari was timid in the early going, clearly wary of Vera’s power. With 100 seconds left in the round, Aliakbari shot in for a takedown and got Vera to the ground with relative ease.

Amir Aliakbari dropped a series of elbows, prompting Vera to roll to his stomach. The Iranian then delivered a series of strikes, forcing Vera to cover up and offer no offense or attempts to escape. With the former champion unable to improve his position, referee Herb Dean was forced to step in and call for a stoppage in the very first round.

Official Result: Amir Aliakbari def. Brandon Vera at 3:37 of Round 1.

Despite a heated exchange at the ONE 164 weigh-ins, both fighters were nothing but respectful to one another following their clash.

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Brandon Vera officially retires as Amir Aliakbari scores his second straight victory

With Amir Aliakbari’s dominant first-round knockout of Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera at ONE 164 on Saturday, the Iranian has won back-to-back bouts and finds himself on the cusp of a ONE heavyweight world title opportunity.

Speaking to Mitch Chilson following his impressive performance inside the circle, Aliakbari said:

“I’m gonna dedicate this for the Iranian people in Iran and this is the style of fighting I’m going to do and I’m going to do this to all the fighters [in] the ring.”

As far as what comes next, Amir Aliakbari said he’s coming for the reigning ONE heavyweight world champion, Arjan Bhullar:

“Arjan Bhullar, where are you?! I will come for you next time!”

Following Aliakbari’s comments, Mitch Chilson spoke with Brandon Vera, who revealed that he had broken his hand in the fight. ‘The Truth’ also stated that ONE 164 would be his final appearance in mixed martial arts. After more than two decades, Vera officially retired in front of his hometown crowd. It was an emotional moment as Vera left his gloves inside the circle and called it a career.